Skip the navigation
News

Reports: Windows Live Messenger getting WPF-based makeover

Blogs say user interface in WLM 9.0 upgrade will tap Vista's graphical subsystem

By Eric Lai
August 13, 2008 12:00 PM ET

Computerworld - The upcoming Windows Live Messenger 9.0 will sport a revamped user interface based on Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) graphical technology, according to published reports that include purported screenshots of the instant messaging software.

The latest beta of WLM 9.0, an upgrade of the most widely used IM client worldwide, lets users create multiuser chat rooms and share photos with one another, the blog Mess.be reported.

WLM 9.0 will also feature tighter integration with Microsoft's Zune media player, said the Ars Technica news site, which reposted the screenshots unearthed by Mess.be. The Messenger Stuff blog also posted an entry about WPF features and other new capabilities that it said are being added to WLM 9.0.

Microsoft has yet to announce a release date for WLM 9.0, which has been in beta since last fall.

The initial betas of the IM upgrade don't take much advantage of WPF, which is Windows Vista's underlying graphical subsystem and can also be downloaded and added onto Windows XP. The various reports indicate, though, that upcoming beta builds of WLM 9.0 will rely more heavily on WPF, which is designed to make complex multimedia development easier and to speed up image rendering.

A spokeswoman for Microsoft said via e-mail that the software vendor has "nothing to announce about future enhancements" to WLM at this point. But, she added, "there are a lot of exciting things happening in this space."

Formerly known as MSN Messenger, WLM had the most users among IM clients as of last December, according to data released earlier this year by comScore Inc. The market research firm's comScore Media Metrix unit said that about 228 million of the 385 million IM users worldwide in December were running WLM.

Read more about Web 2.0 and Web Apps in Computerworld's Web 2.0 and Web Apps Topic Center.

Comments ()
Print


Additional Resources
Forrester Consulting - Optimizing Users and Applications in a Mobile World
WHITE PAPER
Forrester Consulting - Optimizing Users and Applications in a Mobile World
Solving application issues over the WAN requires careful consideration. Based on their independent research, Forrester Consulting offers recommendations on how to tackle application performance issues, insufficient bandwidth and the inability to quickly restore users in a disaster.

Read now.

Security KnowledgeVault
WHITE PAPER
Enter the Security KnowledgeVault
Security is not an option. This KnowledgeVault Series offers professional advice how to be proactive in the fight against cybercrimes and multi-layered security threats; how to adopt a holistic approach to protecting and managing data; and how to hire a qualified security assessor. Make security your Number 1 priority.

Read now.

Cut Communications Costs Once and for All
WHITE PAPER
Cut Communications Costs Once and for All
New IP-based communications systems are being deployed by small and midsized businesses at a rapid rate. Learn how these organizations are enabling faster responsiveness, creating better customer experiences, speeding office or mobile interactions, and dramatically reducing existing communications costs.

Read now.

Web 2.0 and Web Apps White Papers
Why Business Ethernet Services?
Everybody's heard the cliché, "the network is your business." But that's not going to help you choose the best wide area networking service...
Overcome Top 7 Admin Challenges of Active Directory
As Active Directory's role in the enterprise has drastically increased, so has the need to secure the data. Gain insight on creating repeatable,...
Insiders Can Ruin Your Company. Take Action.
Did you know that 80 percent of threats to an organization come from the inside? The threat from insiders is often overlooked in...
Top Solutions and Tools to Prevent Devastating Malware
Custom malware frequently goes undetected. According to Forrester Research, the best way to reduce risk of breach is to deploy file integrity monitoring...
Streamline Compliance and Increase ROI
Streamline, simplify, and automate compliance related activities; especially those that impact multiple business units. This white paper from NetIQ, outlines solutions that will...
All Web 2.0 and Web Apps White Papers
Web 2.0 and Web Apps Webcasts
Optimizing Networks for the Cloud
Join guest speaker, Rohit Mehra, IDC Director of Enterprise Communications Infrastructure, to explore current trends, discuss best practices for optimizing Data Center and...
Apps QuickStart Series Part 2: Designing and Deploying SQL Server on VMware vSphere
Download this webcast to learn about the design considerations for virtualizing SQL workloads, performance and scalability information and high-availability options, as well as...
Apps QuickStart Series Part 1: Designing and Deploying Exchange 2010 on VMware vSphere
Download this webcast to learn the virtual hardware design considerations for Exchange 2010, deployment using the building block approach, options for high-availability and...
Customer Spotlight: How IPC The Hospitalist Company Implemented Oracle on VMware
Have you been looking to hear about customer's experiences with the new VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager product? View this webcast to learn...
Virtualize Business-Critical Applications with Confidence
Virtualizing business-critical applications has become a key focus for organizations as they move along their virtualization journey. With the launch of VMware vSphere®...
All Web 2.0 and Web Apps Webcasts
Newsletter Sign-Up

Receive the latest news test, reviews and trends on your favorite technology topics

Choose a newsletter
  11. View all newsletters | Privacy Policy
IT Jobs